Directed by Gene Reynolds | Production code J322 | |
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 20 (20th overall) Written by Sid Dorfman
McLean Stevenson Original air date February 25, 1973 (1973-02-25) | ||
"The Army–Navy Game" is episode #20 of the first season of the TV series M*A*S*H, originally airing on February 25, 1973; its repeat on September 9, 1973 was the last official telecast in M*A*S*H's first season on CBS. The episode was co-written by cast member McLean Stevenson ("Lt. Col. Henry Blake").
Plot
Excitement runs high in the camp on the day of the Army-Navy football game, with several members of the 4077th putting money into a betting pool. As the game starts, the unit comes under enemy attack, causing some damage and injuries. When a bomb falls into the compound but does not detonate, the entire camp is thrown into a panic. Lt. Col. Blake starts calling various branches of the military, trying to find out who dropped the bomb, but the people he talks to are more interested in following the game. He eventually learns that the bomb was dropped by the CIA, then sends Hawkeye and Trapper out to defuse it. However, Blake misreads the defusing instructions and the two surgeons accidentally set off the bomb - which fires hundreds of propaganda leaflets into the air. As life in the camp settles down, Father Mulcahy wins the football pool, having placed the only bet on Navy.